Lord of The Mysterious Realms Chapter 850

He rose early the next morning. While having breakfast with Old Jack, both man and cat detected a strong herbal aroma in their porridge, but the taste was surprisingly pleasant. The old man explained that it was a recipe he had developed himself to strengthen the body, and he was quite surprised when Jenkins used the term "medicinal diet."

For some reason, the cat had been acting very strangely upon waking. But after a few reassuring pats and strokes from Jenkins, it immediately returned to its usual self, snuggling and rubbing against him all the way to the church.

The Sage's Church in Shire City was not as large as the one in Nolan. It was situated on a pedestrian street far from the city center, an entire avenue where the shops were all engaged in businesses related to books, printing, and education.

The local church received Jenkins with the utmost courtesy. The elderly bishop, who looked even older than Bishop Parrold in Nolan, personally led Jenkins on a tour. Despite his age, he was in high spirits, ascending the stairs even faster than Jenkins.

After Jenkins handed over the pouch of materials, the kindly old man asked if he would like to stay at the church during his "visit" to Shire, but Jenkins hesitated for a moment before declining. He had come to Shire City to investigate certain matters, and staying at the church would be a great inconvenience for moving about on his own. Besides, living with Old Jack and listening to his stories about herbs was quite fascinating.

The entire Friday morning was spent at the church, and it wasn't until lunch that he met up with Old Jack again.

Jack asked about his plans for the afternoon, and upon learning that Jenkins intended to take a walk, he simply advised him not to wander too far. He wasn't nearly as restrictive as Papa Oliver would have been.

After all, this was the peaceful and friendly Shire, a city with far fewer dangers than Nolan.

To be honest, Jenkins knew very little about this city, and the original owner of his body had no memories of it whatsoever. While Shire could be considered a large city, it seemed to lack any distinguishing features. Its industry, tourism, and even its culinary scene had nothing particularly noteworthy to boast of, save for a crime rate that was among the lowest in the county, and perhaps even the country.

He emerged from the wardrobe on St. George Avenue. Everything had gone smoothly. The cat, Chocolate, putting on a show of nonchalance, also stepped out of the wardrobe, seeming a bit nostalgic for the home they had left only a short while ago.

"How about we take a look around the circus?"

He scooped up his cat and whispered the question. Chocolate, of course, had no objections.

The circus was still performing at the Mattel Horse Farm—at least, that had been the case as of yesterday. After secretly leaving St. George Avenue, Jenkins took a carriage across the city. But just as the carriage reached the outskirts and turned onto the small road leading to the farm, it was stopped by a police barricade.

"Gentlemen, what's going on up ahead?"

Jenkins heard the driver ask, so he leaned his head out. A uniformed officer, seeing a passenger in the carriage, immediately adopted a more polite tone.

"There was an earthquake last week, and the road ahead collapsed. The Mattel Horse Farm also suffered heavy damage. You can't get through, I'm afraid. Sorry, sir, I think you'll have to turn back."

The earthquake had happened on Monday, and now it was Friday, so the explanation was plausible enough. The driver, unable to proceed, had no choice but to take Jenkins back toward the city. Jenkins, however, had the driver stop just a short distance away, claiming he wanted to "breathe some fresh country air."

The driver was puzzled as to what fresh air could be found in such a thick fog, but rich folk always had their quirks. He took the fare and drove off.

"Time to move quietly."

He was on a country lane, flanked by vast fields that looked patchy, like thinning hair. Last week's heavy snow had also affected the area. The snowpack was starting to melt as the temperature rose, but the thaw was incomplete.

The dirt road underfoot was wet and muddy, with clear footprints and wheel ruts etched into its surface. Chocolate would absolutely refuse to walk on a path ; the cat was exceptionally fastidious.

Seizing a moment when no one was around, he summoned the unicorn. The small creature appeared and immediately took to the air, equally repulsed by the grimy ground.

It refused to land, so Jenkins had to use his bone whistle to call forth the skeletal horse, stand on its back, and laboriously clamber onto the unicorn's. The pure-white creature seemed thrilled to see Jenkins again, though it was somewhat displeased by the reappearance of the dangerous cat.

It knew, of course, what the cat truly was, and it lived in fear that one day, an appetite might strike and the cat would devour everything. But the unicorn race was under the protection of the great Lord of Blossoms, and now it was also under the protection of the man on its back. Surely, it thought, the cat wouldn't dare try anything.

The last time he had summoned the unicorn was in the living room on St. George Avenue, after which Hathaway had invited him to her estate for the weekend. What he had seen during that visit was something Jenkins would never forget. The thought made him glad he was currently "in Shire." Otherwise, Hathaway would have undoubtedly come looking for him again.

"Am I running away from this?"

The man muttered to himself, lying low on the unicorn's back. The cat poked its head out from his pocket and let out a soft "Meow."

Although it was a bright and sunny winter afternoon, the horse farm was situated on the outskirts of Nolan, one of the areas most severely shrouded in fog.

Jenkins planned to use the fog as cover, approaching the farm from above to get a sense of the situation. To his surprise, however, he was spotted by falcons in the sky before he even caught sight of the farm's edge.

It was likely some sort of aerial patrol; the flying creatures possessed a degree of intelligence. Upon encountering Jenkins, some of them dove down to raise the alarm, while the rest charged directly at their target in the sky.

Those fragile creatures were, of course, no match for a unicorn, but their actions meant Jenkins had been discovered. He had no choice but to flee immediately. He had to get back to St. George Avenue and then return to Shire before anyone realized what had happened.

In a fleeting glance from the sky, he thought he saw a demigod-level Enchanter launch into the air to give chase. He was now immensely grateful for the unicorn's superior speed; otherwise, this New God Cultist would have had his first official clash with the Orthodox Church.

"Come to think of it, who exactly have I been fighting these past six months?"

He mulled over the question as he and his cat slipped out of the little inn, heads down, and walked back onto the street. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ NoveI~Fire.net

It was now half-past three in the afternoon, still some time before dinner. He stood by a postbox at a street corner, hailed a carriage, and headed directly for the cemetery on the outskirts of Shire.

Once they left the city limits, the drop in temperature was palpable. And as he stepped out of the carriage at the stone entrance to the cemetery, it felt as though winter had returned in full force.